Louis Walsh blasts "actress" Sharon

Louis Walsh has accused Sharon Osbourne of overreacting to his decision to axe X Factor contestant Maria Lawson.

The Irish judge is unhappy after Sharon ranted about his choice at the end of the live results show last week, later accusing him of being "cowardly".

Walsh explained, "Sharon is an actress and she'll take anything out of the hat and go with it. If she's so caring then let her get Maria a record deal, and hey, Maria's done well out of this. I've taken flak but it was a tough decision."

Turning his attentions to Simon Cowell, he added, "Simon thinks the show is all about him. He's so self-centred. He got cross with me when I referred to him on the show as having his teeth done, but I've come out of my shell since last year.

"Simon chose me to be on the programme because I love music. He doesn't! He doesn't even buy CDs."